Lumber-marking device.



l. G. MCDONOUGH.

LUMBER MARKING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED ocT.4,1915.

@@ Patented Dec. 1T, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

J. G. MCDONOUGH. LUMBER MARKING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 4 1915` Patented Dec. 1?', Jl

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z;

www aww. ff, w. M .G y m m. JW a JOSEPH GILBERT MCDONOUGH, OF EAU CLAIRE, WISCONSIN.

LUMBER-MARKING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

rammed nee. i7, isis.

Application filed October 4, 1915. Serial N o. 53,902.

To all whom t 'may concern Be it known that I, JOSEPH G. MODON- OUGH, citizen of the United States, resident of Eau Claire, county of Eau Claire, State of lVisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lumber-Marking Devices, of which the following is a speciication.

The object of my invention is to provide an attachment for a lumber working machine, such as a trimmer, by means of which the lumber as it passes through the 'machine can be automatically marked or branded.

A. further object is to provide a mechanism which will be inexpensive in construetion and be capable of convenient adaptation for marking lumber of different lengths.

rl`he invention consists generally in various constructions and combinations all as hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification,

Figure l is a plan View of a lumber trimming machine with my invention applied thereto,

F ig. 2 is an `end elevation of the same,

Fig. 3 is a detail plan View of the marking mechanism,

Fig. 4 is an elevation of the marking de-v vices,

Fig. 5 is a detail view, showing one end of the board which has been marked.-

In the drawing, 2 represents a lumber trimming machine, having a table 3 with suit-able lumber conveyers thereon, as usual in machinesof this type. Saws 4 are carried by the bars pivotally supported above the table t0 swing in vertical planes toward and from the work. These saws are of ordinary construction and do not require detailed illustration or description herein.

6 is a` shaft mounted on one side of the frame and having bearings for frames. 7 pivoted thereon. These frames 7 have upper and lower diverging arms provided with bearings 8 and 9 rfor spindles 10. Upon the upper end of these spindles circular dies ll are mounted, having the brand or mark formed in their surfaces that it is desired to impress on the ends of the lumber. These dies are normally stationary, butJ are free to revolve with the supporting spindles in the frames 7. These frames and the dies are normally held in an elevated position.

by means of weights 12 having flexible connections 13 passing over sheaves 14 and attached to the lower portions of the frame 7. In front of the dies curved guard plates l5 are arranged, projecting above the plane of the upper sur ace of thedie'. These guards are for the purpose of directing the lumber over a die which, on account of the length of the lumber, is not in position to impress a mark thereon. Referring for illustration to Fig. l, we find a group of the dies and guards arranged at intervals in the machine frame, preferably in line with one another. Obviously, pieces of lumber of varying length will be passed through the machine. The drawing illustrates a board of greater length than the distance between two adjacent dies and when the trimming saws are depressed to engage the ends of this piece of lumber, it will pass over the guard and die intermediate to its ends and depress thisparticular guard and die temporarily below the level of the trimmer table. The saws at the ends of the pieces of lumber will trim them and as the board passing between the two adjacent dies it will contact therewith and revolve the dies a sufficient distance to impress the brand or mark upon each end of the board. The lumber will be held in place on the table during the marking operation by means of arms 1.6 pivoted at 17 and provided with weights 18. These arms will lie on the up-per surfaces of the boards and hold them down on the table while they are advanced by the feed belts between the marking dies.

To prevent the frame 7 from swaying laterally under pressure of the pieces of lumber passing between the dies, I prefer to provide guide bars 19 mounted in the machine frame and contacting with the bearings 9. At the lower ends of the spindles l() I' provide forked plates 20 which straddle 'the bearings S and hold them against lateral movement, while permitting freedom of vertical' oscillation until limited by the engagement of the lugs 21 with said plates.

In the operation of the machine, the lumber is delivered to, the feed belts and carried thereby toward the stationary dies. If the lumber when trimmed is of greater length than the distance between two adjacent dies, it will ride over one of them and depress it to an inoperative position below the lumber, while the two dies adjacent the lll) marking is thus obtained with no delay in Athe operation of the trimmer and by means of a. comparatively simple attachment.

In case a saw should ride up over the end of the lumber instead of trimming it, the end Will engage the guard of the die and depress it and the die out of the path of the lumber, thereby preventing damage to the die or its connections.

ln various Ways the details of construction herein shown and described may be modified and still be within the scope of my invention.

I claim as my invention:

l. T he combination, with means for moving pieces of lumber of different length, of means actuated by the moving lumber for automatically making a mark or impression on the ends of the pieces of varying length, and means mounted for holding the different lengths of lumber against said marking means.

2. T he combination, with means for moving lumber, of a plurality of marking dies capable of movement in a vertical plane mounted to engage and brand the ends of the lumber, and, means in the path of the lumber approaching a die and engaged thereby for depressing-the dies intermediate to those at the ends of the lumber to an inoperative position. y

3. The combination, with means for moving lumber, of revolving dies, pivoted frames wherein said dies are mounted, said dies being engaged by the ends of the trimmed lumber for revolving, the dies and marking the lumber, and means in the path of the lumber for depressing the dies located intermediate to the ends of the passing lumber.

4. The combination, with means for feeding lumber, of revolving spindles, circular dies mounted thereon and having peripheral marks or characters, said dies and' spindles being located at intervals and revolved by the engagement of the ends of the lumber with said dies.

5. The combination, with means for moving lumber, of a group of dies mounted to move downward to an inoperative position under the weight. of the lumber passing over them, the dies at the ends of the lumber contacting with the end surfaces thereof and being revolved by such contact to mark said end surfaces.

6. 'lhe combination, with means for feeding lumber, of a series of dies, circular in form, mounted to revolve in the yplane of the moving lumber and actuated by the contact of the lumber therewith, pivoted frames wherein said dies are mounted, guards for said frames in' position t0 be engaged by a piece of lumber that is too long to pass between the adjoining pair of dies.

7." The combination, with means for moving lumber, of marking dies mounted to engage and brand the ends of the lumber, said dies being mounted to brand lumber of varying length, the dies for marking the shorter pieces of lumber being mounted to be depressed to an inoperative position by the approaching longer piece of lumber.

8. The combination, with means for feeding lumber, of revolving dies having peripheral marks or characters mounted to bear von the end surfaces of the lumber fed between them, the engagement of the die at one end of the lumber forcing it against the die at the other end, and the movement of the lumber operating said dies to perform the marking operation.

9. The combination, with means for feeding pieces 0f lumber of different length transversely, of marking dies for making impressions on the transverse-end surfaces of such pieces of different length as they are successively fed between said dies.

10. The combination, with means for moving the lumber, of marking dies between which the lumber is moved, said dies revolving tangentially to the end surfaces ofthe lumber and actuated by the contact of the lumber therewith, said dies being mounted for engagement with the end surfaces of pieces of lumber of varying length.

l1. rlhe combination, With means for moving pieces of lumber of different length, of means actuated by the moving lumber for automatically making a mark or impression on an end of the pieces of varying length, and means mounted to engage the other end of such piecesv for holding the different lengths against said marking means.

l2. rl`he combination with means for moving pieces of lumber of different length. such pieces being in substantial alinement at one end, a die mounted to revolve through contact With the surfaces of said alined ends of lumber for making a mark or impression thereon, and means for guiding a piece ot' lumber having an end not in alineinent with the other pieces past said die.

13. rlhe combination. with means for moving lumber,'of 'a plurality of revoluble marking dies mounted to contact with end surfaces of the lumber and be revolved thereby, said dies marking lumber of varying length, the dies for the shorter pieces being moved to an inoperative position by the `weight of the longer pieces of lumber passing over them.

i4. The. combination. with means for moving lumber, of revoluble dies mounted to contact with the end surfaces 0f the lumber and be revolved thereby, said dies being spaced apart to adapt them for branding lumber of varying length, and guard devices for directing thg longer pieces of lumber away from the dies for branding the shorter pieces.

15. The combination, with means for moving lumber of varying length, of a die normally in the path of the moving lumber and revolved thereby for automatically making a mark or impression on the end of the lumber, and means resting on the lumber for holding it against longitudinal movement on said moving means during the marking Operation. i

16. The combination, with means for moving lumber of varying length, of a die normally in the path of the moving lumber and revolvedv thereby for automatically making a mark or impression 0n the end of thelumber, and a weighted arm resting on the lumber for holding it against longitudinal movement on said moving means during the marking operation.

17. The combination, with a frame, of a series 0f lumber moving belts mounted therein for feeding the pieces of lumber of varying length, a die mounted to make an impression or mark on thek trimmed end of each piece of lumber as it is carried along by said belts, and weighted means for holding the varying lengths of lumber against longitudinal movement during the marking operation.

18. The combination, with a frame, of lumber moving belts mounted therein and having means for engaging and moving pieces of lumber laterally, a branding die mounted to contact with `the trimmed ends of the pieces of lumber as they are carried past said die, said die being revolved by contact of the lumber therewith for making a series of impressions in said trimmed ends, and means preventing the pieces of lumber from sliding lengthwise on said belts when contacting with` said die.

19. The combination, with a frame, of a series of lumber moving belts mounted therein and operating in parallel relation, a die revolved by Contact with the trimmedends of the pieces of lumber` for automatically branding or marking such ends, said die making successive marks in said ends from edge to edge of the lumber and contacting with the lumber with suiicient pressure. to indent or embed the marks therein, `and means for holding pieces of lumber of different length against longitudinal movement on said belts.

20. rEhe combination, with means for moving pieces of lumber, of means for automatically making a mark or impression on the ends of the pieces of lumber carried along by said moving means, and means in the path of a piece of lumber that is too long to contact with said marking means for moving said marking means temporarily to an inoperative position.

21. The combination, with a frame, of a series of lumber moving belts mounted there- .in for engaging and feeding the pieces of means to allow the lumber to pass beneath it.

' 22. The combination, with belts for moving pieces of lumber of different length successively, of means for automatically making a mark or impression on the ends of the trimmed pieces of lumber carried along by said belts, means for engaging-the opposite ends of the pieces of trimmed lumber for holding them against said marking means, and means adjacent to said holding means in the path of the pieces of lumber of different length and actuated thereby for exerting' a pressure on the surface of such pieces.

23. The combination, with a frame, of lumber moving belts mounted therein and operating in parallel relation, a die revolved by contact with the trimmed ends of the pieces or" lumber for automatically branding or marking such ends and contacting' with the lumber with sufficient pressure to indent or embed the marks therein, and means for holding the lumber against the face of the die during the marking operation.

24. The combination, with a means for moving lumber, of a branding device mounted to revolve under contact with the end of the moving lumber, said branding device 'being mounted to yield downwardly under the weight of thereover.

25. The combination, with means for moving lumber, of a revolving branding device mounted to contact with the end'of the moving lumber, a vertically movable member wherein said branding device is mounted, said member having an inclined surface for directing the pieces of lumber thereover which are too long to contact with said branding device.

26. The combination, with means for feeding pieces of lumber of different lengths transversely, of means for placing identifying marks or characters on the transverse end surfaces of such pieces of different length as they are successively fed between said marking means.

27. The combination, with means for moving lumber, of a device mounted to revolve under contact with the surface of the moving lumber for placing an identifying means a piece of lumber passing thereon, said device being mounted to yield under pressure of the lumber1 for moving out of elle path of all pieces of lumber which are too long to be so marked or identified.

28. 'llhe cembinetion, with means for feeding pieces of lumber of flierent length, of e branding device mounted 'to revolve on e Vertical axis and havingA a branding fece to Contact with the sransverse end Surfaces er@ ehe pieces o1e lumber, seid branding de- Lseeeee Vice yielding under pressure of the lumber thereon, and means for holding the pieces of lumber or' different length against longitudinal movement..

ln Witness whereof, l have hereunto sei*J l5 my hand this 2l day of September, 1915.

JOSEPH GILBERT MGDNOUGH. l/Vitnesses:

T. l. MCDONNELL, GEO. L. ll/'EHR 

